Strengthen your faith with the power of vows

 

 

First section: pack up for the spiritual journey

 

Strengthen your faith with the power of vows

 

You have to understand that the world is impermanent. Life itself is a big delusion. You can’t reply on anything, but your faith, for everything is integration of causes and effects and is constantly changing. Therefore you should make a great vow and you need the force from the vows to strength the faith for your spiritual journey.

 

For Beginners, as the minds are not fully cultivated yet and strong faith hasn’t grown up, they probably run into lots of obstruction. Although a practitioner may give up lots of worldly enjoyments for his religious pursuit, but he still might not see any possibility of moksha, totally hopeless, and he can’t feel any happiness in the practice. He feels so lost, lonely, and painful. No one shows him the direction and no one can tell him what to do next. His feet deeply sank into the sands in the desert and wasn’t able to walk fast. It is a very painful stage. It is just like, a thirsty man isn’t able to have any sight of water; it’s like, a man lost in despair, as the woman who he have pursuit for so long, still treat him coldly. Even in his dreams, he yearns desperately for seeing some sight of brightness and enlightenment. But he couldn’t even see warm color, not a ray of light; his heart is like falling into the snow. He can’t help keep questioning himself at this moment: you only get such pain and loneliness after the pursuit with heart and soul, do you regret it?

 

If you do regret at the moment, your spiritual journey may not continue. So we call the regret as retreating mind, which is the worst enemy in the spiritual journey. It is like, you have pursuit a girl whole-heartedly, but not accepted by her. If you keep on, she probably will falling love with you one day. If you give up now, you lost all the possibility to have her. It is the same for religious practice.

 

So, you must make vows at the beginning of your spiritual journey, the vows to achieve the goal. Afterwards you need to treat Dharma and the truth as a lifetime soul mate. You vow to follow her to the end of earth. No matter you are awake or asleep, or you’re doing something else, you must keep this passion, concentration as such. With the goal and passion, you won’t easily feel regret for your choice and you don’t easily have retreating mind.

 

You need to understand, the world is impermanent and the life is a huge delusion. When inconstancy comes, you can’t reply on anything, but faith. It’s because that, every phenomenon is the integrated product of various causes and is on a state of constant change. So you need to make great vows, you need to use the power of vows to strength your faith for the spiritual journey. Even when you lost your home and become a penniless beggar, you won’t give up your pursuit. Even when your life comes to the end, you still choose to turns your back to worldly pleasure and keep on with your practice. Even if you die as an animal and body is exposed in the wild field, you won’t regret your choice.

 

It is a sincere faith, which is the source of liberation - moksha. Therefore, there is the saying: faith is the mother of merit. No faith, no liberation. The faith definitely includes faith in oneself. Without faith in yourself, you won’t believe it even if you get truely enlightened one day. The pursuit without faith in oneself can falter in any minute. For example, a man love writing and he also has some talent, but he’s not confident and don’t believe he will be successful as a writer one day, he gives up, the he lose the opportunity to be a writer. 

 

So, you have to make vows, in order to have greatest faith. You’d better make a great vow, for great capability only comes from a great vow and a big heart. The great vow is a type of ambition.

 

What is the ambition? Ambition is a mind or a heart, which surpasses his present occupation and social status. When we’re no long satisfied with the status quo, and have a higher pursuit, we’ll have the ambition. For example, a farmer is not resigned himself to being just a farmer, this is ambition.

 

There are two sorts of ambitions. One is to benefit oneself; the other is to benefit the public. The first ambition is the worldly ambition, which includes the ambition to gain more fortune, fame, power, higher social statue, etc. The second ambition is called the great ambition, for example, the ambition of Tolstoy, who tried to save the world by literature; the ambition of Confucius, who tried to save the world by preaching benevolence. There are the great ambitions, which are also called the Bodhicitta.

 

 I think, the benefit-to-public is the greatest and also the most ultimate benefit-for-oneself. In the way to benefit the public, we perfect our personality and sublime our souls. Only through this process, we can become a sage from a worldly, become Buddha from an ordinary people.

 

The Buddha of Haze has the greatest ambition. His vow is: He’ll not achieve ultimate Buddha-hood until no one suffers in the hell. See, how great this vow is? Of course, you can also take the vows of the four immeasurable minds: may all the sentient being obtain true happiness or cause of happiness; may all the sentient being keep away suffering and cause of suffering; may all the sentient being never be apart from the endless happiness, May all the sentient be apart from all discrimination and stay with the equality.

 

But most of times, the vows won’t make effect by just simply making vows but taking no action, or making only the worldly vows, e.g. ask for higher position or fortune. Our vows make significance only when we make vows that can benefit the sentient being and then act upon them.

 

For all the supramundane vows, if these vows are not connected to any behavior that benefits the public, they can’t bring any merit or reward. It’s because that the merits or rewards are built on your behavior. How come there is merit, when you haven’t created it? Daydreams and sleeping won’t bring you any good deeds.

 

Therefore, we need to make great vows and plant seeds for good karmic fruits. It is a virtuous circle. During the process, you have to let go of something. Actually it is vain if you refuse to let them go. You need to let go of fame, amusement. If you keep strong obsession of “yours” and “mine”, you can hardly do good deeds with true heart. Actually everybody and everything has an end. No person can live forever in the history. Even if you can’t really let it go now, you have to do it when your flesh body vanishes. It doesn’t rely on your willingness, to let it go or not. Even if you refuse to put it down right now, it doesn’t mean that you can possess it forever. The emperors and generals in different dynasties possessed and enjoyed everything, e.g. glory, gold, jewelry, beautiful woman, and territory. All of these went to new owners when their bodies vanished from this world. Everything is constantly changing, and so be your heart. You can’t be released if you can’t extricate yourself from obsession. Attachment is the mother of Samsara.

 

Why lots of people have practiced for very long time but still didn’t change their mind-nature? Because they couldn’t let go. You can’t see the true nature if you can’t let go. This is fundamental.

 

I have seen practitioners who fight in the retreat room when they have retreated for years and recited million times of mantras. There are also many practitioners who make vows to benefit all sentient being but couldn’t get well together with their families. This is a waste of their life. They are not real practitioners, but cheating on themselves.

 

   TaiXu Master once wrote a verse: Longing for achievement of Buddha, but realize it with personality. Once a perfect man is made, so be the Buddha, this is the truth of practice. This is correct. Without cultivation of personality, all the practice of supramundane dharma has no significance at all. We need to know, all religious practice means practice on behavior. Without right conducts, all the practice doesn’t make any sense. So in my daily life, first of all I ask myself to be a good man, a good son, a good husband, a good father and a good writer. Only based on this, we are qualified to talk about the practice of supramundane dharma.

 

 

Notice

 

Translated by non-professional volunteers, there would be some inaccuracies in the translation. You are welcome to offer us some advice for emendation. Please feel free to contact us.We also look forward to you joining our voluntary translation team.

 

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第一辑：为心灵之旅收拾行囊

 

用誓约之力坚定你的信心

 

你要明白，世界是无常的，生命也是个巨大的幻象，无常一旦袭来，除了信念，什么都靠不住，因为什么都是因缘聚合之物，是不断变化的。所以，你要发下大愿，用一种誓约的力量，来坚定你修行的信念。

 

刚开始修行的人，心性还没有完全成熟，信心还不够，他可能会遇到许多的阻碍。比如，他放弃了红尘的许多享乐，却见不到一点点解脱的可能，看不见希望，修行中也得不到任何快乐。这时，他的生活中可能会出现一种萧条、冷寂、乏味、痛苦，但又没有人可以点拨他，没有人告诉他该怎么做，他好像双脚陷入黄沙中一样，难以快行。这是一个很苦的阶段，就像很渴的时候见不到水，也像追求了很久的女孩一直对他冷若冰霜，他几乎要绝望了。他在梦中都希望得到光明，得到觉悟，但却看不见一点点光明，看不见一点点暖色，他的心就像掉进了皑皑雪地。他不禁问自己，你全心追求所得到的，却是这样的寂苦，你后悔吗？

 

如果这个时候他感到后悔的话，修行就没法继续下去了，所以我们把后悔叫做退转心，它是修行的大敌。比如，你一心一意追求某个女孩，但久久得不到对方的接纳，你继续追求下去的话，有一天她可能就会爱上你，可是如果你中途放弃了的话，你也就失去了与她结合的可能。修行也是这样。

 

所以，你必须在刚开始修行的时候发愿，发誓达到某个目标。然后，你要像热恋中那样，把正法、真理当成你一辈子的热恋对象，发誓跟着她走，天涯海角都追随她去。无论你睡着还是醒来，无论你在做什么，都要拥有这样一种热情，这样一种专注，这样一种激情。有了这种目标、专注与激情的时候，你就不会轻易对自己的选择后悔，不会轻易地生起退转心。

 

你要明白，世界是无常的，生命也是个巨大的幻象，无常一旦袭来，除了信念，什么都靠不住，因为什么都是因缘聚合之物，是不断变化的。所以，你要发下大愿，用一种誓约的力量，来坚定你修行的信念。哪怕穷困潦倒沦为乞丐，你也不会舍弃正信，永不退转；就算生命快要消失，你还是要修行，绝不贪图富贵享受；即使死后像动物一样被弃尸荒野，得不到风光大葬，你也不会对信念产生任何怀疑。

 

这就是一种无伪的信心，它是解脱的源头，所以说，“信为功德母”，没有信，就没有解脱。这信，当然也包括自信。假如你没有自信，就算哪天真的开悟了，你也会不敢相信。没有自信的修道，随时都会产生退转心。正如，有的人明明很喜欢写作，也有一定的才能，但是他没有自信，觉得自己一定不会成功，就没有坚持下去，于是他就失去了成为作家的可能。

 

所以说，为了得到一种极致的信念，你就一定要发愿，而且最好发一个大愿。因为，有大心，发大愿，才有大力。大的发愿也是“野心”的一种。

 

什么叫野心？野心是超越了本有位置和身份的某种心性或胸怀。当我们不再满足于现状，有了更高追求的时候，就有了野心。比如，当一个农民不甘心做农民的时候，他就有了“野心”。

 

野心有两种，一种是利己的野心，一种是利众的野心。利己的野心，就是世俗所说的野心，如金钱、名誉、权力、地位等等；利众的野心叫雄心，比如托尔斯泰想通过文学等方式改变世界，孔子想传播“仁”来救世，这就是一种雄心，也就是所谓的“菩提心”。

 

我认为，所有的利众都是最究竟的利己，是最大的利己。因为在利众的过程中，我们完善的是自己的人格，升华的是自己的心灵，正是通过这个过程，我们才能从普通的俗世中人成长为一代大德，从凡人成为佛陀。

 

“野心”最大的就是地藏王菩萨，他发的大愿是“地狱不空，誓不成佛”。瞧，这个愿真够大了。当然，你也可以发“四无量心”：愿诸众生具足乐及乐因；愿诸众生远离苦及苦因；愿诸众生与无苦之乐永不分离；愿诸众生远离分别心住平等舍。

 

不过，许多时候，单纯发愿而不行动，或者发一些升官发财之类的俗愿，都是没有意义的。我们的发愿，必须是能利益众生的发愿，并且要有相应的行动，这才有意义

 

所有出世间法的发愿，要是不体现在世间法的利众行为中，就不能产生任何功德和福报。因为，福报也罢，功德也罢，还是由你的行为构成的，你的行为造了福才有福报，不造福哪有福报？你光空想、光睡觉是不可能有福报的。

 

所以，要发大愿，种善因，才能得善果。这才是良性的循环。在这个过程中，有些东西你一定要放下，不放下是没有用的，要放下名利，放下享受。如果你始终把“你的”、“我的”分得清清楚楚，那么就很难真心行善。实际上，任何人和事，都不可能有始无终，历史上也不存在有生无死的人。即使你现在不放下，肉体消失时，你也得放下，并不是说你不愿意放下就能一直拥有。历朝历代的帝王将相们应有尽有，荣耀、黄金、珠宝、美人、疆土，但肉体一逝，这一切都会换了主人。一切外物都在时刻变化，你的心也时刻发生着变化，你不放下，想执著，就无法得到解脱。执著是轮回的母亲。

 

为什么许多人修了很长时间，心性却没有大的改变？就是因为放不下。放不下自然无法明心见性。这是很根本的问题。

 

我还见过不少的修行人，闭关多年，念诵了数以千万计的咒子，却老在关房里打架。还有很多要发愿利益众生父母的人，甚至连亲人也不能容忍，徒耗黄金般的生命，去折磨和算计自己的亲人。这样的人并没有真正修行，他们只是在自己骗自己。

 

    太虚法师曾写诗云：“仰止在佛陀，完成在人格，人成即佛成，是名真现实。”这是对的。没有人格的修炼，所有出世间法的修行都没有意义。要知道，修行修行，修的是行为。没有行为的体现，所有的修行都没有意义。所以，在生活中，我首先要求自己做一个好人、好儿子、好丈夫、好父亲、好作家。在此基础上，才能谈到出世间法的修炼。

 

 

 

声明：本文系文化志愿者试译，非专业人才翻译，错误定然不少，如出现疏漏及错误，敬请读者见谅。如有任何翻译上的建议及修正意见，欢迎及时与我们取得联系，我们会加以校对、修改，并希望有专业才能的朋友也能加入我们志愿者群体中来。

 

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